New 6GC, Need Help!!, First car, looking for ideas. Options

[Hym3n]

Howdy! I'm new to the site, and I love my car. I'm currently 15 (with a permit, license soon..) and just got a '96 Silver ST Hatchback. I'm very interested in modifying my car to match my dreams, but I really don't know where to begin, or what to even look for--I'm pretty uneducated in the field. My dad and brother know a lot about cars in general, but no one in my immediate family knows anything performance-wise.

This would be a project that I have to take some time on, as saving up the kind of money for stereo, tires, wheels, exterior and engine.. stuff is going to be costly, and it's a lot at once. I'm hoping to have everything stereo-wise installed first, within the next 6 months (and I've already picked that out, I fortunately DO know a lot about stereo equipment), followed by good [bigger] tires/wheels, as the ones on it are 14" small, and the wheels are quite ugly. After that, I'm open for whatever you see fit. I'm a cautious driver, and I'm not really interested in letting the car get out from underneath me (not a racer, but I'm definitely interested!), but if it looks good and does a more than the stock 105hp it currently rakes in, that'd be really nice.

I'll try and get some pictures up soon, but in the mean time, just let me know what you recommend.. where I can go to install it (or if there's some kind of online directory of places in the Dallas, TX area), and if possible, how much each part would run me. I've been checking out import performance magazines and stuff like that, trying to find good looking and recommended parts, but without someone to really instruct me.. nothing really makes sense.

Let me know if you have a good resource also, just for cars in general!

Thanks,
-Brian